Rendezvous Mountain

Monday morning, we checked out and headed towards Wilkesboro and drove up to Rendezvous Mountain State Park.

Formerly an educational state forest, it was changed to a park in 2022.  After parking, we took Amadahy Waterfalls Trail that descended steeply for about a mile to Purlear Creek.  As the trail started following the creek upstream, we could see Amadahy Falls.

It was a steep bushwhack down the base of the waterfall.

I wasn't expecting much, but was impressed by how nice this one is. 

From here, the trail continued following the creek upstream for a while and then got steep as it headed up to the gravel road.  We followed the road back around to finish up the loop.

We then drove back down the mountain and had lunch at Dooleys in Wilkesboro before heading home.

Blowing Rock Hikes

Sunday morning, we headed up to Blowing Rock for breakfast and then parked at Glen Burney Trail.  It was a chilly morning as we hiked down the trail following New Year's Creek.  Some cool ice needles formed on slopes along the trail.

Shortly, we came to The Cascades and I scrambled down to the base.

No snow, but there were some cool icicles around the rocks and branches at the base.

Continuing on, we passed the top of Glen Burney Falls and I went out to the overlook.  In winter, there's a cluttered view before the leaves pop out.

A little further down the trail, we came to the split and first went right to the base of Glen Burney Falls.

In the other direction, the trail descended to Glen Marie Falls.  Most of the way down is a big rock with a nice view of the upper portion of the falls.

I then went down to the base, but I think the view from the rock is the best.

Then we made the hike back to the car.

From here, we headed to Moses Cone Memorial Park and stopped at the manor house.  We hiked over to Trout Lake and headed up the switchbacks a ways.

After a couple switchbacks we turned around and headed back.

It was a little early to head back so we headed up the Blue Ridge Parkway to stop at a few overlooks.  Our first stop was at Yonahlossee Overlook with a nice view of Grandfather Mountain.

Walking up the road a bit, there was a nice distant view of the parkway.

The next stop was at View Wilson Creek Valley, looking down into the valley with so many waterfalls.

Finally, we made a quick stop at Pilot Ridge Overlook.  The view is kind of cluttered, but could see Blowing Rock in the distance.

We continued to Blowing Rock and took US-321 south and stopped at Happy Valley Brewing for dinner.

Shortoff Hike in Linville Gorge

For the holiday weekend, we took Alex and Harper out to the mountains.  Alex wanted to take his little sister to his favorite spot for a hike, so we first went to the Wolf Pit Trailhead for Linville Gorge.  Shortoff Trail heads up the mountain from here.  Alex really enjoys the rocky steps climbing up the mountain.  Near the top, it meets up with MST and has really great views.

We hiked as far as the campsite with stunning views of Table Rock and the gorge.  There was a group camping here, so we just got a couple pictures and let Harper get her first views of Linville Gorge.

It was really windy up here, so we couldn't stay long anyway.

Once we started heading down the mountain, the wind died down.

Heading back down to NC-126, we made a stop at Fonta Flora County Park.

The Fonta Flora State Trail runs along the shore of Lake James through the park.

After a mile or so, the trail opened up and had really nice views of the lake and surrounding mountains.

There was a bench along here where we stopped for a break and then turned around.

We had worked up quite an appetite by this point and headed into Las Salsas for some delicious fajitas.  We hadn't eaten here in a while and I was glad the food was still delicious and portions huge.  Then we headed to Lenoir to check into the hotel for the evening. 

Cowpens Battlefield

Saturday morning, we packed up and had our last breakfast at Village Inn.  The staff and regulars said good-bye to Harper before we left and started heading home.  Near Gaffney, we stopped at Cowpens National Battlefield.

After getting a passport stamp, we set off on the walking path through the battlefield site.

There were various exhibits describing the combatants and military strategies employed.  It was very interesting to see how the terrain contributed to Morgan's double envelopment of the British forces and decisive victory. 

Near the end of the loop, we passed the Washington Light Infantry Monument.

The trail ended back at the visitor center.

We then drove the auto tour through the battlefield and made a quick stop at Robert Scruggs House.

After finishing the loop, we took off and continued into North Carolina.  We made one more stop in Charlotte at Reedy Creek Park and Preserve.  We first hiked Dragonfly Pond Loop running along the scenic pond.

Then we did a loop around Umbrella Tree Trail and took South Fork Trail to Sierra Loop.

The Robinson Rockhouse Trail led out to the ruins, believed to be from the 1790s.

After a couple pictures, we headed back.

We continued heading home from here, with a stop in Thomasville at Sixty Six Grill for dinner.

Chauga River Waterfalls

Friday morning, we had our usual breakfast and then headed to Oconee County and Chau Ram Park.  It was just a short hike down the road to see Ramsey Creek Falls.

The rocks were icy so we had to stay behind the fence.

After some pictures, we walked over to the Point with a nice view of Chauga River.

We then crossed the swinging bridge and walked up to Pump House Rapids on the opposite side of teh river.

The swinging bridge was just downstream of here.

After some pictures, we got on the Blue Trail and passed Lost Paddle Rapids.

Just past here was Jump Off Rock.

The trail continued along the river a short ways then looped around just before the bridge on US-76.  I made a short detour on the Red Trail up to the Scout Cabin.  Only the chimney remained and it looked like it was converted to an amphitheater.

We took the Orange Trail to head back down to the river at V Rapid, which was shaped like a V.

Just upstream of here was Canopener Rapid.

The loop completed just past here and we headed back to the car.

Next, we headed into Sumter National Forest on Spy Rock Road and parked at the gated FR-748C.  At the end of the road, we picked up Riley Moore Falls Trail and followed that another half-mile to Riley Moore Falls.

The beach area at the base made a nice spot to relax and have lunch.

Alex dug a little burrow in the sand and took a nap.  After our break, we headed back.

From here, we got on Brasstown Creek Road and drove to the trailhead at the end.  It was a short hike to a split and we first went left.  A bridge crossed Brasstown Creek so we didn't have to wade to reach Little Brasstown Falls. 

After a couple pictures, we went back to the split and headed down to Brasstown Falls.

The upper section of the waterfall is a long series of cascades.

Just below this is a 20-foot veil.  A new overlook provides a view of the two upper sections of the falls.

The trail got steep after this point with a ladder that Alex had trouble with, but he found a way around.

The trail ended at the base of the lowest section, a narrow chute.

This is one of my favorite South Carolina waterfalls.  Each section would be a nice waterfall on its own, but all together, it's just great.

On the drive back, we stopped at Brasstown Creek Gathering Place for barbecue dinner and then headed back to Pickens to start packing up.